Chapter 4: A New Enemy and a New Ally
"This is bad," Rin said seriously. "That thing is way out of our league."
Don't need to tell me twice, Shira couldn't help thinking as she continued to stare at the giant. At present, he was standing in silence, one of his eyes glowing red, but Shira was certain that a single swing of one of his enormous fists would be enough to shatter bones. And that wasn't even factoring in the huge sword he held.
"Nice to meet you, Rin." The white-haired little girl curtsied daintily. "My name is Ilya, Ilyasviel von Einzbern. You know who I am, right?"
"Von Einzbern?" Rin repeated. Before Shira could ask her how she knew that name, Ilya giggled again.
"There's no point in knowing everybody's names," she said cheerfully. "In just a few minutes, you'll all be dead."
Shira couldn't resist a fearful gasp; Ilya talking about death with such childlike innocence was just as unnerving as it had been last night.
"Okay; hope you're ready to die."
And was it just her, or did Ilya seem to be looking at her specifically as she said that?
"Go get 'em, Berserker!"
The giant leapt through the air towards them with an inhuman roar.
"Shira, stay back!" Saber said tersely.
"Saber, wait—!"
But Saber, discarding the raincoat he'd been wearing, had already rushed towards Berserker before Shira could even get the words out. A scant few seconds later, Berserker had landed on the ground with a thud, his sword swung downwards. At that same instant, Saber's own sword blocked the attack and managed to deflect it with a grunt. Saber jumped over Berserker's second swing, then parried or dodged the next few blows that came his way.
"Saber!" Shira cried, her voice high with fright. During his previous battles with Lancer and Archer, Saber had been on the offensive, striking his opponents with everything he had, but with this thing called Berserker, Saber was purely on the defensive. All of his energy was spent in preventing the giant from reducing him to a bloody stain on the sidewalk—that was all he could do.
With a horrible sinking feeling, Shira knew that Saber's defense tactics would not last forever.
"His sword is gigantic," Rin was saying, "yet he's swinging it like a toy."
Shira stared at her in a mixture of annoyance and panic. "Way to state the obvious, Tohsaka! We gotta get Saber out of here before he gets killed!"
"That's it!" Ilya cheered on her Servant. "Get him, get him!"
Saber leapt away from Berserker's latest strike, then jumped upward onto a telephone pole, running across the wire as easily as if he were still on solid ground. Berserker chased after him and cut the line, but Saber leapt to another telephone pole, then another, finally jumping to the ground—inches away from Ilya.
Whether or not Saber would have tried to kill Ilya, Shira never found out, as Berserker chose that moment to swing his sword at the knight from behind. Saber whirled around and barely managed to block the swing; the sheer force of Berserker's blow sent him flying and he crashed into a telephone pole.
"Run, Saber!" Shira shrieked.
"Finish him off for good, Berserker!" Ilya trilled.
With a bit of difficulty, Saber got to his feet. With another fearsome roar, Berserker struck his sword against the ground, the concrete cracking and dust flying at the impact. Saber jumped into the air and, with a battle cry, lifted his own sword to deliver his first blow against his enemy.
But Berserker struck back fiercely, sending Saber flying again. The knight twisted his body in midair and was able to land on his feet.
Less than a second later, Saber doubled over with a pained gasp, clutching at the reopened wound on his chest.
"Saber, get out of there!" Please! Shira added desperately. It was only a matter of time before Berserker dealt him a fatal blow, and if this didn't end soon—
No! On a wild impulse, Shira made to rush forward, hell-bent on dragging Saber out of the fight herself. But before she could go more than three paces, Rin grabbed her and pulled her back.
Shira had more than half a mind to scream at her, but before she could do just that, Rin held out her arm, her hand in the shape of a gun, and chanted a brief spell. Black spheres of energy shot out from her index finger and crashed against Berserker's skin. But Rin's spell did absolutely nothing to the giant; it didn't even faze him as he slowly made his way to Saber.
"What the hell is this thing's body made of?!" Rin exclaimed in frustration.
"This is hopeless!" Shira cast her frantic gaze at Saber. "Saber, you have to run! Now!"
"No..." Saber mumbled as he slowly raised his head in time to see Berserker swing his sword at him. He quickly dodged, ignoring his wound, but Berserker struck at him again.
This time, Saber was unable to dodge. The blow sent him reeling and he fell unceremoniously to the ground, blood spilling freely from the gash Berserker inflicted.
"Saber!" Shira yelled.
Grunting in pain, Saber struggled to get up, using his sword as a crutch.
"Run!" Shira continued to yell. "You can't win this!"
"No..." Saber said again, sounding as though it hurt even to verbalize words. "I can still..."
But you can't, Shira thought miserably as she looked at him. Just a few hours ago, this boy radiated strength, fighting anyone he came across, giving as good as he got and never accepting defeat even when he sustained injuries. Now, though, this strong, proud knight was bloodied and deeply wounded, struggling to even stand, let alone continue a battle he surely must know was lost despite his assertions to the contrary.
Ilya giggled in triumph. "Isn't it obvious that you've lost? Berserker isn't your average Servant; he's the most powerful hero in all of Greek history."
"The Servant you summoned up," Rin spoke as though she couldn't quite believe her ears, "is a Greek hero?"
"Yep!" Ilya chirped brightly. "My Servant is none other than the famous Hercules!" Her chipper tone then switched to icy malice. "He's the strongest monster there is, a thousand times better than any stupid hero you could summon."
Ilya glanced to where Saber was still leaning on his sword. "Go on, Berserker; chop off his head and put him out of his misery."
Shira's stomach lurched. This was it. Saber had well and truly lost. Berserker only needed one final swing of his gigantic sword, and Saber would be killed.
Saber would die.
Saber would die.
Saber would die.
Blood suddenly pounded in Shira's ears, and that same wild impulse from a few minutes ago was back with a vengeance. She couldn't just leave this boy to be killed. She had to save him. Whatever the cost, she had to save him.
Berserker raised his sword.
"DON'T YOU DARE!" Shira screamed, running forward before Rin could stop her. She rushed to Saber's side, pushed him away, and—
Berserker's blow came crashing down on Shira.
The girl let out a piercing scream as she fell, the pavement splattered with her blood. The world gave way to darkness a second later.
"Shira? Shira!" Saber gazed at his Master's motionless, bloodied form, not even bothering to hide his utter shock.
What on Earth had possessed Shira to do such a thing? That attack had been meant for Saber, and as loathe as he was to admit it, it was supposed to have ended him right then and there. And it was a Servant's job to protect his Master, not the other way around, so why did Shira feel the need to protect him?
The other two girls—Rin and Ilyasviel—seemed just as stunned as he was.
"Why did she...?" The white-haired girl recovered herself after a few seconds, huffing petulantly. "Jeeze, this has gotten boring. Come on, Berserker."
Saber barely noticed as Ilyasviel left with her Servant, who went into spirit form, and he hardly registered it when Rin began berating Shira's much too still body.
All he could do was wonder why his Master would risk her life—no, throw her life away—for him.
It was warm that evening, the light from the full moon illuminating everything it touched.
"When I was younger, I used to want to become a Champion of Justice, too."
The preteen Shira tore her eyes away from the sky to look at Kiritsugu as they sat on the porch.
"What do you mean, 'used to'?" she asked, her youthful face scrunched up in puzzlement. "You mean...you just gave up on it? Why would you do that?"
"Well, it's hard to explain," came her father's quiet reply. "Heroes don't last long, and the older you get, the harder it is to be one."
Shira stared out into space; that made some sense, she supposed.
Kiritsugu continued, sounding more tired than usual. "I only wish I had come to that realization sooner."
A moment of silence passed before Shira piped up brightly. "Well, since it won't happen for you, then I'll just have to be one instead. Maybe you've gotten too old for it, but I still have plenty of time."
An earnest smile spread across the girl's face. "Don't worry, Dad. I'm gonna make that dream of yours come true someday. I promise."
Even as young as she was, it was a promise she intended to keep with her life.
"Thank you, Shira," Kiritsugu said. "That's a relief."
Shira continued to beam as she gazed at the moon. After a while, though, she had a sense that maybe it was too quiet.
"Dad?"
Kiritsugu didn't answer.
"Dad?"
Still no answer. Shira looked at her father again, a little confused. Kiritsugu had never failed to acknowledge her before, so why...?
"...Dad?" Shira shook his arm; still no response. She shook him more vigorously; still nothing.
Kiritsugu was sitting there on the porch, his smile peaceful and his eyes closed. By all appearances, there shouldn't have been anything wrong, and yet...
"Dad!" A growing panic was rising in Shira. She wrapped her fingers around Kiritsugu's wrist, feeling for his pulse.
There was nothing, not even the faintest hint of a heartbeat.
Kiritsugu Emiya—the man who had rescued Shira from certain death, the man who adopted her and gave her a home, the man whose ideals she had just taken as her own—was dead.
No... The young girl's eyes filled with tears. No, no, no, no, NO!
The tears spilled over, and Shira did not fight to contain her sobs.
"Daddy...!"
When Shira woke with a start the next morning, the first thing she noticed was the metallic taste of blood in her mouth, followed by the fact that her torso was wrapped with bandages.
She stared at the clean, white bandages in blank confusion. When did those get there?
Well, she supposed she could figure that out later, after she washed up for the day. Shira slowly got up from her bed, her head suddenly pounding as she did so. Pressing a hand to her temple, she grabbed some clothes, stumbled out of her room, and headed for the bathroom.
After changing clothes and washing her face and teeth, Shira felt a little better. She washed her mouth out with water to get rid of the blood, vaguely wondering if she'd bit the inside of her cheek while sleeping last night.
Come to think of it, it's almost too quiet, Shira thought as she walked through the hall. Weren't Sakura and Taiga supposed to be here by now? Then again, she didn't take a look at the time yet, so...
Shira opened the door to the dining room and stopped short with a sharp exhale. There, sitting at the table and sipping a cup of tea, was Rin.
"Good, you're up," Rin said with a polite smile. "Hope you don't mind me letting myself in."
Shira blinked owlishly at her. "Uh...what are you doing in my house?"
Rin ignored the question as Shira sat down across from her. "Do you realize you don't have any decent tea here?" The black-haired girl made a face. "If you're gonna use teabags, at least use the triangular ones."
Shira blinked again. I want to know what you're doing in my house, and all you can think about is the quality of my tea? she thought, more bewildered than irritated.
"Tohsaka, what are you do—?" Shira began to repeat her question, but was interrupted by Rin raising her hand.
"Hold on, don't I get some thanks for carrying you home last night?"
"You...carried me home?" Shira parroted incomprehensively.
She fell silent as she thought about last night (so it hadn't been a dream?). There was that fight she witnessed in the schoolyard, then she was attacked—twice—by Lancer, then Saber appeared—
Saber!
"That's it! We were attacked by that Berserker guy!" Shira suddenly remembered, her stomach churning as that image of a bleeding, struggling Saber appeared in her mind. "But what happened?" she wondered out loud, lifting her shirt a little to take another look at her bandages. "I thought for sure I was dead."
"Your wounds just started healing on their own," Rin answered, taking another sip of tea.
"What do you mean?" Shira asked as she looked back up at her.
"Saber has the ability to regenerate," Rin reasoned, "so maybe your body's found a way to tap into that."
Shira could buy that; it would certainly explain why she was still alive after taking a blow from Berserker.
"In theory, it's impossible for a Servant to transfer mana to their Master," Rin frowned a bit, "but we can't forget that you are the impossible Master."
"And you're saying what, exactly?" Shira's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Masters don't put their necks on the line for their Servants," Rin said evenly. "Think about it; if you die, then Saber goes away, too."
What else was there to do? Shira thought, annoyed. Just stand there and let Saber die?
She was about to say as much to Rin when the other girl stood up, the teapot in hand, and went to the kitchen.
"So, Emiya," Rin spoke as she got another cup to pour more tea, "what's your plan of attack?"
Shira paused. "I...don't really have one. All I know is that I don't want a repeat of what happened ten years ago." She accepted the cup Rin gave her. "The Holy Grail doesn't mean anything to me."
Rin sighed as she sat back down. "I figured you'd say that." She glared at Shira. "If Saber hears you say that, he'll kill you."
"...He will?" was all Shira could think to say.
"Wake up, Emiya!" Rin snapped. "You think Servants do this without any ulterior motives? It's not just the Masters that get their wish if they win the Grail; the Servants get that, too, remember? It's the reason many of them become Epic Spirits. Why else would they answer their Master's summons if not to have a wish fulfilled?"
"So you're saying Saber made a contract with me because he wants the Grail?" Shira guessed.
Her stomach twisted in knots as something Kotomine had said came rushing back to her:
"This War is a tradition, a ritual where people have fought and died in an effort to obtain the Holy Grail."
A disturbing thought occurred to Shira. Would Saber go as far as to kill civilians if it meant it would further his own goals? Never mind what he planned to do to other Servants, but what about people who were blissfully unaware of Holy Grail Wars?
"But Saber's just as human as I am!" Shira unconsciously curled her hand into a fist. Surely, he wouldn't...
"He lost tons of blood last night!" she added quickly when she saw Rin raise an eyebrow in confusion.
"Servants may seem alive, but they're not," Rin said calmly. "When they're killed, they just go back to where they came from."
Shira scowled, glaring at her tea. "It doesn't give them license to kill each other!" Or people who have nothing to do with anything, for that matter.
Rin grunted. "Listen, Emiya, if you let the Masters run around unchecked, then innocent people will die!"
Tohsaka, you're really not helping my train of thought here, Shira thought sourly.
"Servants use mana as fuel," Rin went on. "The more mana they have, the more they're capable of matching the full strength they had when they were alive."
"Where are you going with this?" Shira questioned.
Rin leveled her with a serious expression. "I'm saying that there are Servants who will use a person's soul as sustenance. Some Masters force their Servants to eat someone's life energy if it means an increase in the Servant's power."
"What?!" Shira exclaimed. "Servants go around eating people?"
She forced herself to swallow down her tea, more for something to do than because she was actually thirsty.
She found herself going back to her earlier thought. Was it possible that Saber would drain someone of their energy, even if it meant killing them, in order to strengthen himself?
No, no, he wouldn't. Perhaps it was much too soon to know for sure—Shira had only met Saber last night—but she had to believe that he wouldn't do something like that.
She silently pushed her empty cup away.
"What are you going to do?" Rin asked at present. "Just stand by and watch no matter how vile the other Masters get?"
"If they endanger someone's life, I'll stop them," Shira declared.
Rin shook her head. "You've got to be kidding. You're not willing to attack another Master, but if they do something wrong, then you'll defeat them?"
"Yes, I realize I'm trying to have it both ways," Shira admitted, a slightly frustrated edge to her voice, "but I just can't think of any real strategy here."
A sarcastically cheerful smile crossed Rin's face. "You know what the problem with that particular approach will be? That Master we ran into last night will hunt us until she kills us."
The hairs on the back of Shira's neck stood erect. She didn't doubt it one bit, if Ilya's merciless behavior was anything to go by.
"The Servant that little girl summoned is far beyond anything we can handle," Rin continued grimly. She paused momentarily, as if hesitating on what she should say next. "If we wait around, we're dead. You won't have any time to defend yourself."
"You'd love that, wouldn't you?" Shira asked dryly.
Rin glared at her. "Don't be stupid. I'm just telling it like it is."
"Oh, and here I was thinking you'd enjoy watching me be sliced to death." Shira raised an eyebrow. "After all, we are enemies; you said so last night."
"That was before Berserker attacked us!" Rin protested.
"So what are you suggesting?"
Rin let out an annoyed breath. "What I'm suggesting, Emiya, is to form an alliance. At least until Berserker is taken out."
"...An alliance?" Shira repeated, her eyes widening in surprise as all sarcasm was forgotten.
"Yes, an alliance," Rin confirmed, her glare fading. "Archer's still wounded—no thanks to your Saber—and she won't be fully healed for a while, which makes her half as useful. And Saber has a Master that's dragging him down, so he's half as useful, too. It all evens out."
Shira huffed. "Again with the incompetent Master stuff? Come on, I'm not that bad."
Rin smirked. "Of course not; you're worse."
"Give it a rest, would you?"
"So, how about it?" Rin asked, ignoring what Shira had just said. "If you agree to become allies, then I'll teach you about magical lore you don't know. Whaddya say?"
Shira did not reply right away. What Rin was saying did make sense; Shira was very inexperienced, so she could use a good teacher. And in any case, if it ever came time for her to fight Rin, Shira would rather hold off on that for a good while. Being as unskilled as Shira was currently, Rin could easily wipe the floor with her without much effort.
But on the other hand, in the last twelve hours or so, Rin had proven that she wasn't nearly as nice as her school idol image (there was a reason why she was said to have zero enemies) made her out to be. She was brutally honest and snide as all hell, and Shira had a feeling that they may just try killing each other whether Berserker was defeated or not.
In any case, Rin didn't seem like the type of teacher who would patiently tell her what she was doing wrong and encourage her to do better; more like she'd browbeat and insult Shira until she got something right. Could she really stand for what would probably be several days of magic lessons with Rin?
Yes, I can, Shira decided, having made up her mind. She didn't expect Rin and herself to become friends, but having her as an ally and teacher would be helpful, even if it was temporary.
Besides, I've survived worse, Shira added, suppressing a bittersweet smile. Out loud, she said, "Okay, Tohsaka; it's a deal."
"Very well," Rin agreed, sounding satisfied.
The girls stood up. "Oh, by the way," Shira added, "thanks for getting me home last night. I guess I owe you another one."
"Yeah, sure," Rin replied noncommittally as she walked to the door. She turned around to face Shira. "Emiya, just because we're allies now, it doesn't change the fact that we'll have to fight eventually. I suggest you stop thinking of the other Masters as human beings."
And with that, Rin walked out of the room to presumably go home, leaving Shira to her thoughts.
Whether she liked it or not, Shira had made the choice to participate in the Holy Grail War. In some ways, it still didn't seem real, like she was trapped in some surreal dream world. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that she herself had no interest in the Grail, no wish for it to grant.
"Rejoice, child," Kotomine's voice echoed. "You have the chance for your wish to be granted."
Bile suddenly rose in Shira's throat as a mental image of that fire appeared. She covered her mouth and forced herself to swallow, leaving an unpleasant, burning taste.
"For you, your most noble aspirations and your most despicable desires all flow from the same source."
Had that priest been implying that she use the Holy Grail to prevent the fire from happening?
No, Shira told herself firmly. I'm only in this because I want to save people.
She thought about Saber. He had sustained terrible wounds, but still insisted on fighting. He wanted to protect me, she realized, just as I had wanted to protect him.
"Oh, my God!" she exclaimed suddenly. "Where is he?!"
The very last time Shira had seen Saber, he'd been bleeding like a stuck pig. Was he okay? Or was he still injured? And if he was, why was she still standing there?
With only the thought of her Servant's safety in her head, Shira set out to find him.
Several minutes later, all the guest rooms had been checked, but there was no sign of the young knight. Shira had searched the hallways, the bathroom, the living room, even her own bedroom, and still no Saber. Obviously, he wasn't in the house, but Shira didn't even consider the possibility that he left the estate entirely. He'd all but explicitly stated to her last night that he intended to protect her; how could he do that if he'd left?
Shira decided to check the dojo; it was one of the few places she hadn't looked. And if Saber wasn't there...
He could always be in the shed, Shira thought as she went outside, but she didn't sound convinced even in her head. If Saber wasn't in the dojo, then she'd have to accept that he had left her to deal with this Grail War on her own.
...Why did that thought sadden her so much?
It didn't take very long until she made it to the dojo. Shira slid the door open and closed it behind her. To her relief, Saber was sitting in a corner of the dojo, and he looked fine as far as she could tell.
Shira took a few steps closer to Saber, but stopped when she got a better look at him. He was sitting cross-legged on the wooden floor; his posture was casual, but he somehow made even that look dignified. The silver armor, blue shirt, and black leggings were gone, replaced by a white collared shirt, a blue tie, and navy dress pants; by all appearances, one would think he was a normal boy ready to go to church rather than the medieval warrior he was. Instead of being reflected by moonlight, as he had last night, he was now bathed in the sunlight streaming in from the windows.
For a few seconds, Shira let herself forget everything, just as she had when she'd first beheld Saber. She forgot about Masters, Grail Wars, her alliance with Rin, and even her ability to breathe. She may have wondered earlier if she'd just dreamed up the events of last night, but she found herself glad that Saber wasn't a dream.
She didn't think her subconscious would be able to conceive of someone so beautiful anyway.
Saber opened his eyes as if shook out from deep thought and turned his head in Shira's direction.
"You are up and around," Saber stated neutrally as he stood up.
Shira blinked, startled. "Um, yeah," she replied, her fingers absentmindedly playing with a lock of hair. "I just woke up a few minutes ago."
Saber stepped closer to Shira with a scrutinizing gaze. "You still don't look entirely well to me."
Shira's breath hitched and she quickly backed away from Saber, hoping her face hadn't turned red. "I-it's okay; really. I'm fine."
She wasn't sure if she was talking about the injury inflicted on her by Berserker, the chest wound she'd gotten from Lancer's Gae Bolg (which still stung from time to time even if it was partially healed), or the affect Saber seemed to have on her.
If the blond had noticed anything odd about his Master's behavior, he didn't show it. "That is good to hear. Now that you are feeling better, I would like to address the events that transpired last night."
"Sure," Shira agreed, averting her eyes to Saber. "What do you want to talk about?"
"I would prefer my Master to not do what you did yesterday," Saber said.
Shira's eyes widened in surprise, but before she could speak, Saber continued.
"Combat is my area of expertise. I would prefer you to focus on areas in which you excel. As my Master, you have no need to protect me."
Saber's voice was completely calm and matter-of-fact; even so, Shira couldn't help but feel nettled.
"Are you kidding me with this?" she demanded. "If I hadn't done anything, Berserker would've killed you!"
Saber looked a little taken aback by Shira's outburst, but he quickly schooled his features in his usual stoic expression. "In that case, I would have just died. My battle with Berserker was not something you should have been hurt for. Again, there is nothing to be gained from you protecting me."
Well, maybe I won't save you next time, Shira thought peevishly. And how could he talk about the possibility of him dying so simply? Did he really think so little of his own life?
"Look, Saber—" Shira suddenly cut herself off, not knowing where to go with this. Maybe a subject change was in order. "You still want me to call you Saber, right?"
"Yes," Saber agreed, apparently not caring about the change in topic. "We have established a contract as Master and Servant, and I will be true to that contract until we have met our goal."
Shira frowned. "And," she began slowly, "that goal for you is winning the Grail War?"
This was what she needed to talk to Saber about, even before telling him about the alliance she forged with Rin: if his goal was to get the Holy Grail, how far would he be willing to go?
"Is that not why you summoned me?" Saber asked.
But I never summoned you at all, Shira mentally pointed out. She doubted she would've been able to summon Saber even if that had been her intention. All she'd been thinking about was stopping Lancer from killing her, then Saber had suddenly appeared and she found herself involved in a secret tournament where magi and Epic Spirits killed each other.
As far as Shira was concerned, Saber being summoned was a complete accident.
"Shira?" Saber's voice broke her out of her thoughts.
"Sorry; I kinda spaced out there," Shira said quickly. "But just so you know, Saber, you winning with me is pretty slim."
"Are you saying this because you lack the will to fight?" Saber asked.
"No, I intend to fight." Shira began pacing the dojo. "The problem is we don't stand a chance."
"If you think we are weaker than the other Masters and Servants, I can compensate for that."
Shira stopped pacing, stiffening at Saber's words.
"I will utilize everything I have at my disposal."
Shira whirled around to face Saber. "And what does that include, exactly?" she demanded harshly. "Attacking innocent people to boost your power?" There—she finally said it out loud. Now she just had to know Saber's answer.
"That is not a method I wish to use," the blond said. His still calm voice contained a note of coolness in it. "I consider attacking an unarmed person to be unacceptable. Doing so would violate my code as a knight."
Shira relaxed, a relieved smile spreading across her face. It seemed like her earlier assumption was correct; Saber had too honorable a nature to attack an innocent. However, she couldn't help but feel a little stupid as well. She really should have known better.
Before she could apologize, though, Saber continued speaking, the coolness in his voice more pronounced.
"If you were to ask me to attack someone who is not an enemy, you would have to use a Command Seal to force me to obey."
"Don't worry," Shira assured him. "I wouldn't make you do that. I'm sorry if I insulted you just now."
"Think nothing of it," Saber replied, accepting her apology. The cool edge had disappeared from his tone.
"So," Shira began after a pause, "speaking of utilizing everything we have, I agreed to team up with Rin Tohsaka for now. You know, Archer's Master from last night?"
Saber nodded in approval. "An intelligent decision, Shira. There are many things you can learn from her until you become a suitable Master."
"That's true," Shira agreed. She let out a small snort. "I just hope I survive the experience."
At that moment, the sound of something heavy falling could be heard at the door. Shira and Saber looked over to see Rin entering the dojo with a large bag in hand.
"Tohsaka, what are you doing here?" Shira asked, a little nonplussed. "I thought you went home."
"I did, but only to get my stuff." Rin smiled pleasantly as she dropped her bag. "Do you have a room I can stay in?"
"What?" Now Shira was really confused. "Why would you need a room?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Rin asked. She didn't wait for a reply. "Since we're going to be partners, we'll need to share any information we get. The best way to do that is if I stay at your house."
"Wait just a minute here!" Shira strode over to Rin with her best glare. She wasn't confused anymore; now she was angry. "Did you seriously just invite yourself into my house?!"
No, that was the wrong phrase to use. Rin inviting herself into Shira's house would indicate that Rin had asked to stay over. The most accurate way to put it was that Rin had barged into Shira's house and expected a free room.
Rin spoke as though Shira hadn't said anything. "If you don't have a room set up, I'll just pick one myself."
"Tohsaka—"
"Oh," Rin interrupted as though something had just occurred to her, "and I'll need a place to set up shop, you know, for my magecraft."
"I never said anything about you—"
"And do you mind teaching me how to use your air conditioner?"
"Will you just shut up for a second?!" Shira exploded. Honestly, this girl could give Shinji a run for his money when it came to rudeness. "First of all, I never invited you to live here. Second of all, how exactly were you planning to explain to Fuji-nee why you're suddenly living in my house?"
After all, telling the truth to Taiga—someone completely clueless about the supernatural—was absolutely not an option. If outsiders could be killed because they witnessed a battle between Servants, could they be killed simply because they acquired knowledge of the Grail War? Shira didn't want to find out.
Well, that, and she didn't know if Taiga would laugh in her face, have a heart attack, or pop a blood vessel if she told her what she'd gotten herself into.
Saber spoke for the first time since Rin's arrival. "If we are talking about rooms, Shira, then I too have a request. I think it's imperative that I sleep in the same room as you."
WHAT?! Shira turned around to face Saber (when had he walked closer to her?), the motion so fast that she nearly got a crick in her neck.
"Saber, that is not funny," she snapped. "How am I supposed to sleep with a guy lying next to me?"
A little mental voice reminded her that Saber had suggested they share a room, not a bed, but Shira couldn't bring herself to care about technicalities.
For his part, Saber merely looked at her stonily. "It is a Servant's duty to protect their Master. You are at your most vulnerable while you sleep. If we were to be attacked in the night, I would need to be as close to you as possible in order to protect you efficiently."
Shira frowned. "And what if Fuji-nee—my guardian, by the way—caught us in my bed together? She'd think you were trying to molest me." Yes, Taiga would definitely pop a blood vessel if that happened.
It was when Shira spoke that last sentence that Saber's expression changed. The stoniness, even stubbornness, on his face melted away as his eyes widened and he flinched back. He looked as though Shira had slapped him.
"Saber?" The redhead's frown faded as her anger from before was replaced by concern.
"I would never do something like that to you." Saber's voice was strangely soft and quiet. "Such a thing has not even crossed my mind. You know that, do you not?"
Was that a plea she was hearing? Shira was surprised to see how affected he was by what she'd said. It was quite different from the strength and stoicism she had come to expect from him, a more vulnerable side that she didn't know was there.
"I know that," Shira said, her voice gentle, "but Fuji-nee wouldn't. But if you want, you can have the room next door to mine."
"And as for coming under attack at night," Rin butted in, "that won't be a problem."
Shira jumped a little at the sound of Rin's voice; she'd actually forgotten that the other girl was still there.
"I've put a barrier around the entire compound," Rin went on. "It'll immediately detect any kind of sneak attack, so you'd have plenty of time to rush to Shira's side and protect her, Saber."
"That sounds reasonable," Saber admitted, his voice and expression back to normal as though the last minute or so had never happened.
Rin nodded, then smiled. "Now, about my room..." Her voice trailed off as she picked up her bag and made to leave the dojo.
"Tohsaka—" Shira began, but she abruptly stopped herself, slumping her shoulders in defeat. It looked like she would just have to get used to the fact that Rin would be living at her house for a while.
Once Rin left, Shira exchanged a glance with Saber, and a thought suddenly occurred to her.
Since when did Rin start calling her by her first name?
Author's Note: Phew! Longest chapter so far, but I did enjoy writing it, especially towards the end of the dojo scene.
In summary, Saber was nearly pwned by Berserker, Shira took a blow to the gut and is still alive, Rin and Shira are now allies and are on their way to becoming Vitriolic Best Buds, Shira needs to see a doctor about that breathing problem of hers, and Saber shows there's more to him than just being a guy with a sword.